Everyone is smiling! These clothes are fun! Vineyard Vines, YouTube Over the years, Wall Street has tried over and over to change its image as a workplace mainly for straight white males who come from the same families, went to the same schools, and share the same views on everything from fiscal responsibility to the greatness of The Gipper.

To shake that image, there are clubs that are supposed to support inclusiveness among minorities already working at banks and initiatives to recruit underrepresented people from different walks of life.

But sometimes banks are a little tone-deaf as to how to make themselves seem open to people who are different from the traditional Wall Streeter. It's been a two-little-steps-forward-one-gigantic-step-back kind of movement.

And at this moment, I can say confidently that JPMorgan just took a step in the wrong direction — in fact, it's an embarrassing direction.

Vineyard Vines' logo is a happy smiling pastel whale

Here's what happened. The bank recently announced that it would move to a business-casual dress code. On the one hand, this is obviously great for people who want to work in a less stuffy work environment. On the other hand, it can be a confusing designation. What is business casual, exactly?

Well, JPMorgan has decided to help its employees figure that out by setting up a Vineyard Vines pop-up store at its New York headquarters for the completely, utterly, miserably, tragically confused adults who don't know how to buy a pair of decently fitting khakis.

Apparently, this is just in case all you have in your wardrobe aside from suits is a bunch of old Grateful Dead T-shirts from your "experimental" phase at Wesleyan.

"[T]hat may only be the start of a broader apparel push at the biggest U.S. bank by assets. J.P. Morgan is slated to open pop-up shops at its New York, Wilmington, Del., and Columbus, Ohio, locations later this year, said Chief Marketing Officer Kristin Lemkau.

Let me break it down for you: Vineyard Vines is the brand that puts grown men in whale-patterned pants. You can get crabs, too, if you're lucky. It also aggressively uses pink and green as a legitimate color combination for men and women who are legally allowed to drive and vote.

Vineyard Vines' aesthetic is not for adults. It's for children's pajamas. At the very most, it's what clueless dad-bros wear to the beach or pool because their wives just figured, "Well, I'm here grabbing cute shorts for the kids, might as well grab him a new pair of trunks."

It is the most grotesque example of preppiness. It is clothing for people who ask other people where they "summer."

If you want to picture someone in them, picture Greg Marmalard and his fellow Delta Tau Chi in " Animal House." Picture Carlton Banks. Do you want to dress like Carlton Banks? The Fresh Prince sure didn't.

But what's more important than any of that bad taste is that Vineyard Vines is for people who all want to look the same — obnoxious pastel-colored drones. And that penchant for uniformity is the very reputation Wall Street is trying to battle.

If JPMorgan is telling its employees that this style is "appropriate" for work, then it's telling its employees — whoever they are and wherever they're from — that this is the kind of lifestyle they should emulate at work. It's telling them that the bank isn't changing with its workforce, it's telling its workforce to bow down to the awkward tradition of who runs the bank.

But whatever — can't wait to see you bros drinking at Snafu in your Vineyard Vines JPMorgan ties.

Oh, and did I mention that Vineyard Vines is a JPMorgan client? Well, it is.

*We should note that the author of this post loves herself a polo shirt. Loves. But not from Vineyard Vines. Just, no.

Check out more of Linette Lopez talking about this snafu with Sallie Krawcheck, founder of Ellevest:

Popular from BI Prime

Close iconTwo crossed lines that form an 'X'. It indicates a way to close an interaction, or dismiss a notification.Check mark iconA check mark. It indicates a confirmation of your intended interaction.